Jajangmyeon

Ingredients

• 600g fresh thick wheat noodles
• 300g pork belly, cut into 1cm dice
• 6 tbsp chunjang (Korean black bean paste)
• 5 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 large onions, cut into 1.5cm dice
• 1 courgette, cut into 1.5cm dice
• 1 potato, peeled and cut into 1cm dice
• 100g cabbage, cut into 2cm pieces
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 400ml water or chicken stock
• 3 tbsp potato starch mixed with 4 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks
• Pickled yellow radish, to serve

Before you cook

• Dice the pork belly, onions, courgette, potato and cabbage into even pieces
• Mince the ginger
• Cut the cucumber into fine matchsticks and keep it cold
• Mix the potato starch with cold water to make a slurry

Steps

1. Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the chunjang and fry it gently for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it loosens and loses its raw bitter smell.
3. Pour the fried paste and its oil into a bowl and set it aside.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a wok over high heat and fry the diced pork for 5 minutes until the fat renders and the edges brown.
5. Add the ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
6. Tip in the potato and onion and stir-fry for 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and sweet-smelling.
7. Add the cabbage and courgette and cook for 3 minutes more.
8. Stir the fried chunjang back into the wok so every piece of vegetable is coated black.
9. Add the sugar, oyster sauce and water, and bring the sauce to a simmer.
10. Cook for 10 minutes until the potato is tender.
11. Stir the starch slurry again and pour it into the wok in a thin stream while stirring, until the sauce turns thick and glossy.
12. Add the sesame oil and turn off the heat.
13. Boil the noodles in plenty of water according to the packet, usually 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and rinse them briefly in hot water.
14. Divide the noodles between four bowls and ladle a generous mound of sauce over each.
15. Top with the cucumber matchsticks and serve with pickled radish.